First come first serve and lottery systems are known methods for assigning booths, but Cottonwood Art Festival is a juried show with good reason. What is a juried show and how is it different from other art festivals? Juried competitions, have since the dawn of digital, afforded artists around the world opportunities to compete for inclusion in prestigious shows such as Cottonwood Art Festival.

The City of Richardson sponsors the semi-annual show and knows exactly how many 13′ x 13′ size booths will fit into the meticulously designed layout within Cottonwood Park.  The map shows an average of 240 booths carefully drawn to represent the prime real estate that artists desire to occupy for a busy 48 hours every May and October. 

Artist applications are accepted online twice a year through ZAPP and up to five (5) images may be submitted to represent the brand. This year jurors reviewed artwork and collections from approximately 750 artists. The coveted artist slots are narrowed through a competitive jury process where each artist is scored by jury members on a scale of yes-no-maybe in the first round, creating a ranked group of artists in each category deemed qualified to advance to the second round. The scoring for the second round is a ranked 1 – 7 number scale. There is a third and final round that encourages discussion.  Jurors have the choice of revising their scores and final scores are then recorded. 

The top scorers in each category receive an invitation to the show. An additional number of artists are retained for a waiting list of alternates and based upon the scores received in their category.  The director of the show has the right to invite up to, but not to exceed, 10 artists at her discretion.  

CATEGORIES:

  • Ceramics:  All original clay and porcelain work other than jewelry is accepted in this category. No machine-made or mass produced work is permitted. If multiple pieces of the same design are displayed each piece must be signed.
  • Digital Art:  This category includes any original work for which the original image, or the manipulation of other source material, was executed by the artist using a computer. Work in this category must be in limited editions, signed and numbered on archival quality materials. Traditional photographs taken through a digital media should apply in the photography category.  Work that starts with a photograph and manipulated by digital means must be entered in either Mixed Media or Photography. 
  • Drawing/Pastels:  Works created using dry media including chalk, charcoal, pastels, pencil, wax crayon, etc. or from the fluid medium of inks and washes applied by pen or brush are to be entered in this category.
  • Fiber:  All work crafted from fibers including basketry, embroidery, weaving, leatherwork, tapestry and papermaking.This can be wearable or non-wearable. No machine tooling, machine-screened patterns or other forms of mass production are permitted. No factory produced wearable items, regardless of additional modification or enhancement by the artist, may be exhibited.
  • Glass:  No forms of mass production are permitted
  • Jewelry:  All jewelry whether the work is produced from metal, glass, clay, fiber, paper, plastic or other materials must be entered in this category. No commercial casts, molds or production studio work is allowed.
  • Metal: Includes all non-sculptural, non-jewelry works crafted from metals. No production studio work is allowed.
  • 2D Mixed Media:  Works that incorporate more than one type of physical material in their production. Works should include more than one of the following: Paint, pencil, watercolor, photography, printmaking or drawing.
  • 3D Mixed Media:  Works that incorporate more than one type of physical material in their production. Works should include more than one of the following: clay work, fiber, glass, metal, wood, or any other 3-D objects.
  • Painting – Oil/Acrylic: Works created in oil or acrylic
  • Painting – Watercolor:  Work created in watercolor
  • Photography:  Photographic prints made from the artist’s original image, which have been processed by that artist, or under his or her direct supervision, are included in this category. Photographers are required to disclose both their creative and printing processes on prints which have been properly signed and numbered as a limited edition.
  • Printmaking/Graphics:  Printed works for which the artist’s hand manipulated the plates, stones or screens and which have been properly signed and numbered as a limited edition may be entered in this category. All giclee, photocopy and/or offset reproductions, will be rejected. Printmakers are encouraged to do their own printing which has been processed by the artist, or under his/her direct supervision.  Printmakers are required to disclose both their creative and printmaking processes.
  • Sculpture:  Three dimensional works done in any medium.
  • Wood:  Original works in wood that are hand-tooled, machine-worked, turned or carved are accepted in this category.

We invite the public to attend and ask the artists what it means to be included in a juried show.  Admission and parking are free and the festival will be held Saturday, May 7, 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, May 8, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.  

Cottonwood Park is located at 1321 West Belt Line Road, one block east of Coit Road in Richardson, Texas. More information is available on the website: www.cottonwoodartfestival.com